Dunmanway Historical Association was founded in 2003 with the aim of promoting an interest in the history of Dunmanway and its hinterland. The primary objects of the Association are to investigate and research any matters, books or other material likely to yield historical information; to collect and publish material of local interest to its members and the public in general. The aims and objects of the Association are enshrined in our constitution.

The Association’s aim is to have a permanent base in which we can extend our display of charts, posters and photographs, continue our research and recording. The centre is used regularly both by the local people and tourists and in particular by the local schools. The students visit it regularly seeking information for their projects.

th -Our latest publication Dunmanway Doings Volume V1 was launched on Thursday 4th December2014 by Mr. Con Downing. There was a huge turnout on the night. The journal is proving to be very popular. A copy of the journal can be purchased in most of the shops throughout the town & also here in the centre.

Have a look at our list of publications, many are now half price.

Mac Carthys of Cork Cultural Weekend 2013 DVD's can also be bought in our premises €15 each. These make great keepsakes and are reminders of such a fantastic weekend!!

CANON MAGNER

To mark the 90th annivaersay of the death of Thomas Canon Magner on 15th December 1920 a wreath was laid at his grave in St Patrick's Church Yard in Dunmanway by Fr Ted Collins P.P. after the 9.00 am Mass on Sunday 19th December

DUNMANWAY DOINGS, VOLUME VI

Dunmanway Historical Association launched their journal, Dunmanway Doings, Volume VI 4th December. This is their sixth journal, and it offers a wide range of topics and many human interest stories that will bring back many happy memories of times gone by. Each story is designed to evoke memories of a disappearing way of life highlighting the ingenuity and humour of our ancestors and friends. The editorial committee of Finn Mannix, Deirdre O Regan, and Cathal Brennan have endeavoured to present articles as diverse as sport, people, places and events recording happenings at home and abroad. They hope that this collection of articles ranging from the historic to the present day will give us all a better understanding of our heritage. The journal was launched by Mr.Con Downing, himself a native of Dunmanway and a member of a long standing family in Dunmanway. The journal is available at the Heritage Centre and is in all the shops in the town.

ST PATRICK'S CHURCH ACCOUNTS BOOK

Also on display on the night was the recently restored Parish Accounts Book. “It is the most significant and historic discovery in the parish for quite some time”; so said Tommy Collins, Chairman of the Historical Association. It is an account of the income and expenditure associated with the building of St Patrick’s Church in Dunmanway during the period 1832 to 1848. This book was maintained by Fr James Doheny who was Parish Priest in Dunmanway from 1818 to his retirement in 1848, and is a testimony to his meticulous accounting of the parish finances as it details all who contributed to the building of the Church. In effect it is a census of all subscribers, street by street and townland by townland. Fr Doheny also gives a very detailed account of all expenditure for the period, detailing the various sources of the materials used in the building ranging from the various quarries from which the stone was procured to the Altar and altar fittings from Lyons in France. It also gives us the names of all the tradesmen who worked on the church as well as the quarrymen, labourers and horsemen. We learn that tradesmen earned two shillings per day, with labourers earning eight pence per day and quarrymen one shilling per day. This book lay hidden in the presbytery for years until it was discovered last year by Fr Ted Collins. The book has now been expertly restored and preserved for posterity by Mucros Bookbindery in Killarney.

Genealogy

It is our intention to establish a Genealogy Centre in Dunmanway. We plan to create a data base of all parish records, births, marriages and deaths so that they are readily available to locals and tourists alike. We respond to numerous enquiries from overseas visitors requesting information on their ancestors. We have at our disposal numerous sources of information, such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses (both of which are now available on line at www.nationalarchives.ie), Griffiths Valuations compiled between 1848 and 1864, Cox Estate list of Tenants in 1852 and numerous local reference books, including a list of gravestones in Fanlobbus and Kilbarry Graveyards.

Museum

We have now achieved our aim of securing a permanent building in the former Methodist Church. We now have a permanet base to source, collect and record old and new historical material. It is great to have this base to house our collections so that future generations will benefit freom our endeavours.